Running In The Shadows
by slothmccall
Summary: Valeria had always been comfortable with the idea of getting through high school flying under the radar, but in the span of a few short weeks she finds herself on every kind of radar ranging from social to supernatural and she can't help but think it all started with Lydia Martin.
1. Chapter 1

**I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)**

"That's 2 to 2" Valeria says as the soda can clutters to the ground. "i think"

Both her and Isaac are in the middle of a very heated game of who can knock down the most cans from a certain distance by throwing rocks at them. If they miss, they have to take a swig from the bottle Valeria snuck out of her dad's liquor cabinet, with the main objective being more about getting drunk rather than their actual aim. They're on their third round now. Maybe fourth. Valeria lost count.

They have 1 can left perched up on top of one of the older gravestones that is so far back in the cemetery that they're practically standing at the mouth of the forest. Their aim has only gotten worse since they started playing, having worked up a bit of a buzz, if the blush across Isaacs face is anything to go by.

Valeria grins over at him, wind pushing loose curls onto her face. Isaac takes a deep breath, stretches his arm back, and throws. Valeria's eyes follow the small rock as it flies over the can and into the tree behind it. Begrudgingly, Isaac takes a sip from the clear glass bottle, his face scrunching up in disgust as the liquid touches his tongue.

"This is disgusting" He rasps.

"I know" Valeria says, taking the bottle from him and screwing the lid back on. "you said that the first 10 times"

Isaac pouts, just barely, using all his concentration to sit on the ground. Valeria places the bottle next to him as he leans back on the giant headstone behind him, craning his neck up to look at the sky. "Why is the moon so bright?"

"Dunno"

"It's so round"

"Because it's almost a full moon" Valeria tells him from where she's trying to find a decent sized rock to throw. She picks one up, but it crumbles in her fingers. Sighing, she rubs her eyes with the back of her hand. She's definitely buzzed enough to not be able to search for rocks, let alone throw them. "Let's leave it at a tie. I don't think i can throw anymore"

"Yeah me either."

They sit in silence, letting the cold air hit their warm faces, and listening to the sounds of nature around them. Crickets, owls, even the occasional car in the distance. They seem to lull Isaac, because when Valeria looks over at him, his eyes are closed. He looks relaxed and calm, and she's happy to see her best friend be something other than a shy, nervous mess.

It's the only reason they ditched the dance to hang out, just the two of them. Dances always have a way of making Isaac feel claustrophobic, whether it's the crowded dance floor, the crowded bathrooms, the heavy atmosphere once everyone has gotten their hands on the punch that almost always gets spiked. It isn't his scene at all. It definitely isn't Valeria's scene either, so instead of her being holed up in her room or Isaac spending the night alone at the cemetery, she had decided to show up during his shift with a bottle of Jose Cuervo in hand.

And, well, here they are.

Isaac stirs, eyes fluttering open and landing on Valeria. "I can't feel my legs"

Laughing, she walks over to him and offers him her hand. "you need to walk it off. c'mon" reluctantly he takes it, standing up to his full height. He's easily a head taller than Valeria so she has to turn her head up to look at him. His light brown curls are a lot messier than usual, most likely due to the fact that he keeps running his fingers through them.

"When did you get so small?" he asks, confused, like this is news to him. It's kind of endearing.

"Around 7th grade." she tells him, "Remember? I called you Groot up until last year?"

"Oh, yeah"

She laughs, shaking her head, watching as Isaac walks behind the gravestone they put their soda cans on, picking up the ones on the ground and placing them back on top. He says something, but Valeria doesn't hear him.

"Ow" she breathes out. A sharp pain shoots up the left side of her stomach, spreading so fast she feels like the wind is being knocked out of her. She can hear Isaac's voice from where he's standing, but it sounds so far away.

Her right hand is shaking when she presses it to where the pain is only growing worse, turning into more of a stinging sensation, as if her skin is being torn apart. Valeria feels panic settle inside her gut the second she pulls her hand back and sees blood.

"Wh–" she huffs, falling to her knees and using her bloodied hand to keep from falling over.

Isaac drops down beside her, blue eyes searching for the source of pain. They pass over the very evident stain of blood that only seems to grow as the seconds tick by. "What's wrong?"

 _i'm bleeding_ she wants to say.

"i don't know" she manages to say through gritted teeth. There are more things she wants to say, like it _hurts so much_. or _i can't breathe_. but the words die in her throat. Isaacs worried face comes in and out of focus as she blinks away tears and the black dots dancing in her field of vision.

The last thing she sees before blacking out completely, is the moon shining bright over her head.

When Valeria comes to, the lights above her head are too bright, too aggressive. Groaning, she uses her left hand to shield her eyes, blinking way too many times to regain focus. She squints over at the woman in blue scrubs.

"Hi, Valeria. I'm nurse Mccall" She says with a kind smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible" she replies, sitting up slowly and groaning at the throbbing pain in her head.

"Expect that to be twice as bad in the morning" Valeria's eyes widen in panic. "Don't worry. i wont tell your father."

Valera sighs in relief, "thank you-"

"But. I did let him know you were brought in." She says, not giving Valeria enough time to say anything. "you're fine to go home tonight. Just make sure to drink a lot of liquids, like water, gatorade."

She nods, even though she wants to ask a million questions. She decides on asking about Isaac.

"He's just outside. I can let him in once i'm done taking the iv out" Nurse Mccall tells her.

Less than a minute later, Isaac walks into the room looking nervous and still very disheveled. Valeria doesn't waste time trying to figure out what happened at the cemetery.

"What the hell happened to me?" It isn't a demand, she says it as softly as she can, because she's genuinely curious, and confused.

Isaac chews on his lip, a look of contemplation on his face, like he's choosing his words carefully. "You passed out."

That much she remembers, but it's what happened _before_ that has her rattled. Or what maybe happened. "That's it?"

A pause.

"No," He says, "You- before you passed out-"

He doesn't know what to say, still obviously in shock, and drunk. The last thing Valeria wants is for her best friend to dive head first into a panic attack, especially tonight. Unless it's already too late for that

"It's okay," She tells him, making sure to look him in the eyes. "Let's get going before my dad shows up or something"

She lifts her jacket to check for any signs that she didn't just imagine the whole thing, that maybe it was the alcohol. _Nothing._ It's as if she can still feel the echo of pain, though, hitting her in shallow waves every few seconds. Isaac is looking at her, concern heavy in his features.

"You sure, V? You looked like you had been stabbed or something. I- I didn't say anything to the nurse because she'd just write it off as us being drunk, but... Val, you scared me."

"i'm fine" She reassures him, swinging her legs off the hospital bed, swaying a bit once her feet touch the ground. Isaac helps her steady herself. "It was the alcohol. I might've just had too much"

Isaac is quiet for a moment, and Valeria doesn't have to look at him to know he's still chewing on his lip. It's a nervous habit of his that has left his mouth bleeding and swollen on more than one occasion. So to calm his nerves and prevent that from happening tonight when they're _supposed_ to be having fun -It's all out the window now, but it doesn't hurt to try- she decides to distract him. And that's the thing about their friendship, when one is panicking, it's up to the other to balance it out and calm them. Almost like the relationship between the cheetahs in zoos with dogs as companions, their purpose being to help keep the cheetahs calm, due to them being prone to anxiety. Sometimes Isaac is the cheetah, other times it's Valeria, And occasionally they're both. It's a nice balance, and they rely on it often. Valeria wouldn't know what she'd do without Isaac there by her side.

"You know, your fascination with the moon earlier was kind of suspicious, _Groot_."

He stops biting his lip only to look up at Valeria with confused, but curious eyes. "did you just call me Groot?"

She ignores him. "Only 3 kinds of people like the moon that much; witches, lesbians, and werewolves." she says, counting them off with her fingers.

"what about astronomers?" He asks, and there's a small smile on his face. It isn't much, but Valeria will take whatever she can get.

"I'm talking supernaturally"

"Lesbians are supernatural?"

"I mean..." She examines her hands, touches her face, and shrugs. "probably"

Isaac shakes his head, suppressing laughter. He looks much more at ease now that Valeria is joking and poking fun at him.

"Anyway" Valeria continues. "which category do you fall under?"

Before he can answer, there's commotion going on outside. Nurses are yelling, along with hectic radio chatter, which can only mean there are deputies around too. Valeria exchanges a glance with Isaac, both peaking their heads out the door at the same time to see what's happening. The nurses are scrambling around like ants, a few deputies are standing outside the elevator, like they're waiting for someone. Valeria watches the numbers above the elevator light up, eventually stopping on number 4. When the doors open and the nurses and doctor rush out, Valeria feels her stomach drop at the sight of the person being hauled past them.

It's Lydia Martin, still wearing her dress from the dance, but covered in dirt, and more noticeably; blood. The view has Valeria reaching for her side, right where she had seen the exact same kind of wound on herself less than an hour ago. Her eyes don't leave Lydia, not until a deputy uniform blocks her view, and she's met by her fathers stern gaze.

"Hi, dad. Funny running into you here." she tries, and fails, to sound casual.

"The nurse told me you fainted-"

"I'm fine. It was just dehydration." She shrugs it off, not really wanting to talk about it. Her dad accepts the answer, nodding, obviously tired and stressed. If what's been happening around town recently is anything to go by, and with Lydia a couple feet away in the E.R., she fully understands.

"I need the both of you to get home. It's not safe" He says after a moment.

"What happened to her?" Isaac asks from behind Valeria.

"Animal attack" He answers, like he's not sure that's exactly what it is, but not knowing what else to call it. "Now both of you. Home. Now.'

Isaac follows behind Valeria, who's still rubbing at the side of her stomach absentmindedly. They make their way through the many nurses and deputies toward the elevator. Jackson Whittemore, all around asshole, pushes past them, asking anyone where he can find Lydia Martin. Valeria watches as Sheriff Stilinski grabs him by his dress shirt and pulls him aside to talk.

The doors close before she can find out what they say.

When Monday finally rolls around, the hallways are buzzing with gossip. The names Lydia Martin and Kate Argent being recurring topics between conversations. By the time Valeria makes it to her locker, she's pieced together most of the story about Kate Argent. Hale family, murder, more death. She writes it all down on a blue sticky note and places it inside her notebook for her to look at when she gets home.

There is no sign of Lydia, Allison Argent, or even Isaac all day, which makes school go by rather slowly. So when the final bell rings, she bee-lines to her car and drives straight home. She's greeted by her dog, Hendrix, a 7 year old retired police dog with a hip injury. It's been 2 years since he was hit by a stray bullet while on the force, but it's still hard for him to jump up when he sees Valeria. Instead, he wags his tail excitedly, going around in circles until she crouches down to his level, hugging him as he licks at her cheek.

"Hey, bud. Ready for your walk?" She asks, laughing when he breaks away from her to start barking at his leash hanging off the coat rack near the closet. "Alright, let's just go conspire for a bit before we go"

Hendrix follows behind Valeria to her room, sitting patiently in front of the conspiracy wall. It takes up almost half her wall, lined with newspapers, different colored sticky notes, pictures, strings, all dating back as far as the day of the infamous Hale Fire. It's what initially prompted her interest in mysteries and conspiracy theories, and it has only grown broader over the years, especially with living in a town like Beacon Hills where questionable occurrences are a regular. Specifically in the last few months, when the discovery of a dead body in the woods sparked a trail of 'wild animal' attacks across town.

Valeria takes her notebook out of her backpack, pulling out the blue sticky note from earlier and pinning it right next to an old newspaper clipping of the Hale fire. The _who_ has finally been answered, but the _why_ is still up in the air _._ People don't just murder an entire family in one go just for a laugh. The only thing that makes sense is Kate killing off anyone involved, probably fearing that she'd be caught or that one of them would throw her under the bus. Otherwise, Valeria is stuck, staring intensely at her board as if something on there could give her an answer. It all frustrates her to no end, there has to be _something_ she's missing.

Hendrix whimpers from beside her, pulling her out of her thoughts. _Right._ She scratches behind his ear. "Sorry, bud. C'mon."

They end up taking a detour to the cemetery.

When Isaac doesn't show up to school, Valeria makes it a habit to show up during his shift to give him some company. They never talk about why he doesn't show up, Isaac avoids the topic altogether, but Valeria doesn't have to guess too much anyway, with Isaac's immune system being so weak.

Isaac is throwing out dead flowers when Hendrix spots him and starts wagging his tail happily, practically dragging Valeria toward him. He turns at the sound of leaves crunching under their weight, smiling down at Hendrix and not meeting Valeria's eyes. She tilts her head to the side to try and get him to catch her eye, instead she sees the extremely noticeable dark circles under his eyes. She doesn't comment, instead smiles as Hendrix licks Isaacs face.

"You'd think he didn't just see you yesterday"

Isaac laughs softly, but doesn't say anything.

"Did you hear about Kate Argent?" She asks, Isaac's eyes finally land on her, so she continues. "She's the one that murdered the Hale family"

Isaac stands up, leaving Hendrix looking up at him. "The funeral is supposed to be in a few days.. You think it's going to be a disaster?"

"For Allison's sake, i hope not. She seems nice" Isaac nods in agreement.

"Your mystery board is complete now, though, right? So that's good" Isaac offers when Valeria doesn't speak for a few minutes.

"I've got 4 out of 5, so…not yet"

"What's left?"

"Why." she answers. "Why did she do it?"

"Do psychopaths really need a reason?"

"Not really, but... i don't know." She sighs, "It just doesn't make any sense"

"Well, the police figured it out so maybe try to relax?" he smiles for reassurance. "Also, you might wanna take Hendrix out back before he shits on Miss Junes grave again."

When Valeria looks down at Hendrix, he's looking up at her wagging his tail, whining when their eyes meet. She must've been too distracted with her own thoughts to realize he's in need of a bathroom break. Scratching behind his ear, she leads him away toward the woods, leaving Isaac to finish doing what he had been doing before they interrupted him. Hendrix walks further into the trees while Valeria waits closer to the cemetery, hands stuffed in her pockets so she doesn't lose a finger due to how cold it is. She can see Hendrix sniffing around a few feet away, looking for a good spot to do his business. Her eyes snap away when he finally finds it, turning her body in the opposite direction.

That's when she sees a man walking away from her, seeming to appear out of nowhere. Hendrix doesn't notice the man, but Valeria can see him clear as day making his way deeper into the forest. His hair is matted, and his clothes look worn and torn, which can only mean he is a homeless man. But the homeless never make it a habit to live in the woods, in fear of being attacked by a mountain lion in their sleep. So, it's odd.

She waits a few moments for Hendrix to be finished, calling him to her so they can figure out where the man is headed or if he needs help.

"Hendrix, do you see him?" It's weird. Usually, Hendrix barks or growls at the sight of a stranger, but now? It's as if they're on any regular walk.

The man is gone almost as fast as when he appeared. Valeria is sure she didn't lose sight of him at any point, but she keeps walking toward where she last saw him anyway. What she finds sends her to the ground. The man is dangling off a tree by a rope tied around his wrists with half his body missing. What has her startled more than the actual half body itself, is the fact that it doesn't look real. Not in the _oh this is a prop_ kind of way, but in the _is that a ghost_ way. It looks like smoke, as if it could disappear if you put your hand through it. It's unsettling.

Valeria scrambles back, startling Hendrix who still doesn't see this, and scraping the palms of her hands on broken branches and rocks as she rushes to get back on her feet. She's out of breath by the time she's out of the forest, even though she hadn't ventured far in the first place. Isaac notices how in a rush she is, eyebrows furrowing when she doesn't seem to have any intention of stopping to continue talking.

"I gotta go" She says tightly, and leaves with Hendrix in tow.

The Smoke Man, as Valeria calls him, plagues her dreams for the next few days. Sometimes he has a full body, other times he's screaming for help, but they always end with Valeria waking up in a cold sweat.

Tonight is no different.

The dream starts the same, Valeria is walking through the woods at night, the sound of the man begging for mercy coming from all around her. When she finally finds him, he's lifeless and quiet. The sight never fails to make her feel sick. She never gets closer to him, though, fear paralyzing and keeping her a good few feet away. Tonight, though, she manages to force herself to get closer, figuring interaction could help stop these nightmares.

The smoke is moving, she notices once it's only at arms reach, and the man looks washed out. Like a ghost. There isn't any blood or the bottom half of the body, just a dangling top half. Valeria reaches for him, to test the theory of whether or not her hand can go through him. As soon as her skin makes contact, her mind flashes with images. Of the man being tied up and pulled up on the tree, of a bald old man raising a sword and swinging it across his abdomen. The worst part by far is the fact that she can _feel_ his pain, as if she was the one that had been slaughtered.

Valeria sits up on her bed, drenched in sweat, arms wrapped around her stomach so tight she can barely breathe. It takes a moment for her to realize it was just a dream, that what she saw was not real, that the smoke man probably wasn't either. Groaning, she runs her hands down her face, noticing Hendrix watching from the foot of her bed. He whines when she slips out of bed and walks out of the room, she can hear the jingle of his dog tag as he follows her out. What she needs to do is drink some water and clear her head, maybe then she'd be able to sleep through the night.

The kitchen is empty, so she doesn't bother turning the lights on, knowing well enough where everything is even in the dark. She grabs a cup from the cabinet and puts it under the water dispenser on the fridge. Her eyes drag over to the clock on the stove, 8:24pm is displayed in bold green. It's early. No one is home yet, probably stuck working late again, no wonder she fell asleep so early on a friday night. Usually when her aunt, uncle, and father are home, the house is not quiet enough for her to be able to rest.

When the water in the cup is full enough, she puts it to her lips, but stops when the smell reaches her nose. It's disgusting. She opens the fridge door to give her some light, nearly vomiting at the sight of the liquid in her cup. It's black and smells like ash. Valeria mumbles something along the lines of "gross", as she goes to dump the water in the sink. Before she can get there, her ears begin to ring, stopping her in her tracks. It's so high pitched and loud she can feel her skull rattling. The glass of water slips from her grasp, crashing on the ground, as she covers her ears to block the noise. She crumbles to the ground, taking a few things from the counter with her.

It's gone in a flash, leaving Valeria confused, and sobbing, wondering if she's somehow still stuck in her dream.

There's shattered glass at her feet, along with clear water and not the black liquid she had seen before. She wipes at her nose after feeling something warm over her lip. _Blood._

"What the hell is _happening_ to me?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: i'm not really one to write these things but i just wanted to give thanks to everyone who favorited and followed this story so thank you ily. there might be some mistakes here and there that i missed while editing, but i'll just blame that on me typing this up on my phone. be sure to follow me on tumblr timeonourside to see everything I post regarding this story and its characters.

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Out Of My Head

By Monday morning, the dreams are nothing but a distant memory, all mostly taken over by the fact that Lydia Martin is missing.

After The Incident™️ —it's what Valeria refers to it as in her head— when she'd already cleaned the mess on her face and the kitchen floor, her aunt had shown up and informed her of how Lydia had disappeared from the hospital about a half hour prior.

It's all she's been thinking about for the past 2 days. So much that there's a small corner on her mystery wall solely dedicated to Lydia. It isn't much, all it is is a single sticky note with the words _missing from hospital?_ pinned on a newspaper clipping of the night she was attacked. She's terrified of maybe having to put up one with the headline _teen girl found dead in Beacon Hills_ one day.

Valeria pushes away any, if not all, thoughts about that possibility from her head, instead focusing on her conversation with Isaac, but also avoiding looking at the very evident black eye that he did not have on Friday. He's hooking his bike onto the bike rack by the parking lot, a little out of breath from having to ride to school in a hurry because of the incident that took place in the cemetery the previous night. She's missed a few pieces of the story, but catches the last part in time to hear an important detail.

"... but we did find out that they stole the liver" He concludes, clearly exasperated as he looks over at Valeria. "I mean, who steals a liver from a dead person?"

"Well, there are definitely weirder things people do with dead bodies so" Isaac doesn't seem amused, but Valeria laughs anyway. "Sorry, sorry. You said you were there, though, right? Did you see anything or anyone weird?"

"I feel like i'm talking to the sheriff again" He huffs, snapping the lock on the chain shut.

"Shut up" I _don't want to sound like a sheriff._ "Did you?"

"No. It was too dark." It sounds like a lie, could possibly be one, but he's not facing her and she can't see if he's doing his tell. It isn't actually a tell, not really, but after being friends with him for years all she needs is to look at him to just _know_. They walk side by side toward the entrance, Isaac looking straight ahead while holding his backpack straps with a vice grip. Valeria opens her mouth to try and get more information from him, but the words catch in her throat when her eyes land on a man digging through a trash can near the parking lot. Matted hair, torn clothes.

The images from her dreams come flooding back and she can't _breathe._

 _He can't be real. He can't be real. He can't be real._

Isaac doesn't seem to notice the pause in her step, and she doesn't think she wants him to, so she keeps pace with him. She takes note of the fact that this is the first time she's seen him in a setting other than the woods. There is also no smoke surrounding him this time, not like all the other times in her dreams, or that time in the woods by the cemetery.

 _Maybe i'm asleep right now_. The thought is fleeting, and it's gone when she watches Jackson Whittemore throw money at the man.

"Go find another parking lot to die in. Security!"

Her eyes don't leave the man's, not even when he looks up to meet her gaze.

Valeria cannot for the life of her stop trembling. Maybe the man had been real when she saw him in the woods, seeing him hanging in the trees was a trick in the light, the dreams were products of her imagination, _there's an explanation._ She repeats those last three words like a mantra in her head as they make their way into the building, she almost misses the way Scott McCall watches her with a look of worry as they walk right by him. Isaac says his 'see you later' as they part ways and Valeria heads toward her locker clenching her water bottle so hard it's almost a miracle it hasn't exploded yet.

There are two girls standing in front of her locker, fully enveloped in their conversation, completely ignoring Valeria when she says "excuse me". She stands there awkwardly, only mildly using her water bottle as a stress ball, not fully paying attention to their words until a familiar name catches her attention. _Kate Argent._ She tunes them in, hoping for a distraction and maybe a new piece of information, but what she gets is the two bad mouthing Allison and her family. And all while looking right at her.

Valeria squeezes the water bottle so hard that it actually explodes this time, water splashing both girls and wetting their jeans. They gasp, looking down at themselves and then up at Valeria. She doesn't say anything, only watches with wide eyes as they wait for her to say something or apologize, but nothing comes out.

They glare, obviously annoyed, then rush down the hall toward the bathrooms. Valeria carefully steps over the water on the floor, but finds that she cant open her locker due to the fact that her hands are still shaking. She sighs, resting her forehead on her locker and trying hard not to think about whether or not people are staring. Her anxiety doesn't need that at the moment, or ever really.

The bell snaps her back to reality.

The trembling doesn't completely go away until chemistry class. It's almost noon, and Valeria can feel her eyes closing as the video about immunity plays from the front of the room, the only good thing being that Isaac is sitting next to her equally as bored. She rests her chin on her hand, eyes floating around the room while playing with a pencil in her left hand. Her eyes land on Jackson Whittemore, for reasons beyond her. He seems off. He always does, but today it's different. Valeria watches as he squirms uncomfortably, staring at the video like it will give him all of life's answers. Her eyes don't leave him, especially when black liquid begins to flow out of his nose.

Valeria's mind flashes back to the night when she saw the black water in her cup. That had been clearer, not as thick-looking as what's coming out of Jackson, but it's unsettling nonetheless. She watches as he shoots out of his desk, covers his nose with his hand, and exits the room in a hurry. A few other students notice him leave, watching the door with confused expressions, Valeria takes the opportunity to write down the odd occurrence in her notebook.

After school, Valeria walks with Isaac to his locker. She hasn't mentioned her dreams of the man or his black eye all day, it's only a matter of time before she cracks, but for now it's a win. They weave their way through the thickest parts of the crowd, Valeria standing behind Isaac, holding onto his backpack, because his height usually intimidates people into moving away. It doesn't always work, but this way she doesn't get lost in the crowd. Once they're closer to the stairs, Valeria moves to walk beside Isaac.

"So what time does your dad want you at the cemetery?"

"Half hour" Isaac says. "The press is probably already there"

"Sucks" she comments. "For the Argents at least."

"Yeah" He replies distractedly. They make their way down the staircase, Valeria dodging someone coming straight toward her, then moving back to Isaac's left. His eyes seem far off, mind elsewhere. Valeria doesn't remember him acting like this in the morning, maybe because of his rush to get to morning practice and her mild panic attack about The Man, but it isn't uncommon for Isaac so she doesn't comment on it.

"Hey" Isaac says after a few moments. "If someone were to offer you something that could change your life forever, like, for the better. Would you accept it?"

Val thinks it over for a second.

"Depends"

"On what?"

"Whether or not you're talking about drugs"

Isaac sighs. "It's not drugs. Just.. would you?"

"I guess so" She finally answers, watching as Isaac nods and mumbles an "okay".

"Want to hang out after the funeral?"

"I can't." He says, and Valeria definitely notices the way he starts to take longer strides, she can barely keep up. They reach his locker, Isaac opens it and stuffs his book inside, then turns to Valeria who is standing there watching him with furrowed eyebrows. She's a little winded, but it doesn't stop her from giving him a look of _what the fuck?_ "Tomorrow." he tells her.

"Okay, cool. I guess i'll see you-" She watches -baffled, really, because what the _fuck_ \- as Isaac walks off without so much as a goodbye. "um?"

He doesn't turn around when he waves at her, leaving Valeria standing there very confused.

 _Weird._

Later, after walking Hendrix around the neighborhood for his afternoon walk and eating some leftover food from the night before, Valeria heads over to Eichen House.

During the week when Valeria is free for the afternoon, she likes to spend time with her aunt while she's on her lunch break. It's only for an hour at most, sometimes less when she's needed by a patient, but overall they have enough time to talk and for her to eat her food. Valeria is usually asleep when she's off from work, or hanging out with Isaac on the weekends to really talk to her, or her uncle, or her dad for that matter. She likes visiting her at work though, prefers it to the sheriff's station where her father and uncle work, with it being too hectic and too loud. The silence of the mental asylum she can handle, it's easier to have conversations.

It's empty and cold, and all around eerie, as she walks past the gate and up the steps toward the entrance. Luckily, she's greeted by an older woman with fuzzy, faded red hair and a mole on her chin the size of a dime. She's nice, unlike the creepy younger white guy that's usually at the front desk, she makes small talk with Valeria as she signs in and waves when she makes her way toward the break room.

Valeria finds her aunt standing in front of the vending machine, waiting on her choice for a snack to fall down. She's wearing a plain black pencil skirt and pink button up shirt, along with her favorite pair of black pumps. Her straightened dark brown hair cascades midway down back, parted behind her ears to keep it from falling in her face. She seems so out of place -an observation Valeria's made many times before- with her bright colored clothes, bright smiles, bright personality. It's easy to picture her working as a guidance counselor in a middle school or anywhere that's not here. Not in a place that seems so dim and sad.

Valeria quietly walks to the table where her aunts blue lunch bag is, she instantly recognizes it by the bold black letters on the side spelling out Acosta. It's in her hand writing, from when she was 12 and her aunt had just gotten a job as a therapist at Eichen, she had decided to give her a lunch bag as a gift, thinking it would at least be useful and would last her a long time. She'd accepted it happily, giving Valeria a hug and commenting on how she'd chosen her favorite color. The letters are mostly faded now, and Valeria makes a mental note to fill it out with a sharpie some time soon.

Her aunt, Maria, takes a seat across from her, setting two bags of chips in the middle of the table between them.

"I got your favorite" She tell her as she pushes her chair closer to the table. "Well, second favorite."

"You really need to petition for them to get hot cheetos in this place" Valeria jokes, "how will i survive in here?"

"Easy," Maria answers, "stop eating hot cheetos"

Valeria gasps, feigning shock, placing a hand on her chest while staring with wide eyes and open mouth. " _Tia_ , how dare you"

They laugh, not too loud as to not disturb the other employees also on their break. Maria takes out her lunch and eats while Valeria snacks on the chips, talking about the little things like Maria's work and Valeria's school life. It's mostly boring stuff, until Valeria brings up Kate Argent.

Maria's features harden a bit, the soft smile on her face falters the slightest and Valeria notices. "Her funeral is today, isn't it?"

Valeria nods. "Isaac said the press would be there and everything." Maria hums. "Hey tia, why do you think she did what she did? To the Hale family?"

"Personally or from a therapists point of view?"

"Both, i guess"

"Well," She starts, "I think that maybe she had a lot of anger and resentment, and violence was her only outlet."

"Why them specifically? There were _kids_ in that house. I don't get it" Valeria crumbles the bag of chips in her hand and holds it there.

"My guess is because of Derek Hale." Maria says. "Kate was after him before the fire"

"What, like romantically?" Valeria isn't serious but when her aunt nods, she feels her stomach turn. "So she pursues an underage kid, he rejects her, she murders his entire family?"

"Not exactly"

"Then why else would she be angry?"

"I think the anger, the resentment, everything came from before Derek" Maria tells her, crossing her arms and resting them on the table. "He might've been a pawn"

"Okay," Valeria nods slowly, the wheels turning in her head. "She uses Derek to get to his family. That still doesn't explain why she did it. Could she have had a grudge against them?"

"Maybe." Maria says. "You know, you sound a lot like your dad when you start talking about things like this."

Valeria scoffs. _That's the second time today._ It's a sudden subject change and Valeria doesn't ponder too much on whether her aunt did it on purpose or not.

"I still think you'd make a good sheriff one day. Maybe even an FBI agent, or a detective."

"You think highly of me, tia." Valeria says, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, i'm your aunt. It's my job." She smiles, then adds, "What, you don't think you'd make it as a sheriff?"

"it's not that I wouldn't make it, it's more that I don't think i'd handle it. I've seen the kind of stress that line of work does to dad, and even to tio Luis." Valeria answers truthfully.

"They have been pretty stressed lately" Her aunt muses.

"With Lydia missing, the funeral, and even the grave robbery last night, I would be too." Valeria tells her. _I already am_ _._ It's part of the reason she doesn't see the two as often as she does her aunt, they're always too busy, too stressed, too tired. Maria doesn't say anything, only nods in agreement. Valeria takes the break in conversation to throw her trash away, and her aunt to put her containers back in the lunch box. When she sits again, she leans back on the metal chair and stretches.

"You know, Isaac told me I talk like a sheriff today too." She regrets the words the moment they come out of her mouth. Whenever Isaac is mentioned, or even physically present, her aunt's eyes seem to almost twinkle with a bit of mischief. Much like they are at this very moment.

"Oh, really?" She grins. "See, even he thinks you'll be a sheriff one day. _Supportive._ "

"Well, yeah. He's my best friend so.." She plays with the ends of her sweater sleeve, pulling at the loose strings as if they're the most interesting things in the world.

Maria hums, in more of a _Right, i believe you_ kind of way that a Latina does when they definitely _don't_ believe you. "How has he been? We haven't seen him around the house in a while."

"He's been busy with the funeral stuff so," She shrugs, hoping, _wishing_ that the conversation ends there.

"You have to invite him over for dinner this week. Tell him your uncle will make him his favorite"

"Okay" Valeria nods. She's relieved that her aunt didn't go into the whole _why aren't you two dating yet?_ thing she always does. It's laughable really because her and Isaac? She's _gay_. So, so, _so_ gay. Sometimes she wishes she could just scream it at the top of her lungs for everyone to know. She's done it a few times, when it's only her and Isaac at the cemetery late at night, making him the only person that knows she's a lesbian and in love with Lydia Martin.

Valeria picks at her fingernails, waiting on her aunt to change the subject, but it never comes. Instead, a loud scream cuts through the air startling Valeria to her feet. Her aunt looks up at her, then toward the door, then again at her.

"That's just Meredith" She explains, "She does that a lot"

"Why?"

"She says she's mourning the death of a stranger"

 _Mourning the death of a stranger_ _._ Valeria stares off toward the direction of the scream. Of Meredith. The wheels in her head turn as she takes her seat again.

"Wait, wait, the old guy did _what_?"

Cars pass loudly to Valeria's right, making it difficult to hear what Isaac is telling her. She moves her phone to her left hand, then switches Hendrix's leash to the right.

"He broke Matt's memory card" Isaac repeats himself. "In front of everyone."

"That's messed up" Valeria comments, looking both ways at the stop sign and then crossing when no cars are in view. "Who was he? Allison's grandpa?"

"Yeah, maybe" There's traffic noises coming from Isaacs end of the line, Valeria doesn't comment on it, instead focuses on avoiding crashing into other people on the sidewalk.

"Allison is so nice. How is her family not."

"The gene probably skipped her" Isaac says, there's some movement and the sound of his bike dropping to the ground. Valeria listens with furrowed eyebrows while Hendrix pisses on a fire hydrant. "Hey i have to-"

"Go?"

"Yeah. I'll text you later."

"Let me know when you're home, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

He hangs up before she can say goodbye, leaving her talking to herself. _What the hell is up with him?_ She sighs, pocketing her phone and making her way toward the street light. It's a bit cold out, so she dismisses the chill that runs down her spine, the first one at least. The second one goes through her whole body, causing her to tug on Hendrix's leash. He stops, looking back at her with curious eyes, but Valeria's wide eyes are trained on a smoky figure running toward her from the alley.

She stammers back when she notices the slashes and blood on the man's chest, the blood doesn't quite reach the ground, and neither do his feet. It isn't until the man runs under a light, that she recognizes him as Isaac's dad. His clothes are soaking wet, in both blood and water, sticking to his body as he continues to charge toward her.

Like in the woods, Hendrix seems unaware of what Valeria is seeing, taking to sitting beside her and watching a cat on a windowsill.

He continues running, terrified, as if running away from something, and runs right into Valeria. Or, he should've, but nothing touches her. She lowers her arms from her face, looking around for any signs of Mr. Lahey, but is met by worried passerby instead.

"Are you alright?" An older woman asks.

Valeria looks around at the few people standing there, all wondering what is wrong with her. Not knowing how to reply or what to say to explain her behavior, she panics and walks away quickly with Hendrix at her side.

 _Not again._


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood**

When Hendrix starts aggressively barking at the door, Valeria doesn't hesitate to grab the broom from the supply closet. She approaches quietly, looking into the peephole and sighing in relief when she sees Isaac standing there with both hands covering his ears.

She unlocks the door and takes hold of Hendrix' collar to hold him back because he doesn't stop growling and barking when he sees Isaac step inside. Valeria has to use both hands and full body weight to keep him from possibly attacking Isaac.

"Hey, bud, it's just Isaac. _Calmate._ " She tries to sooth Hendrix, shocked to even have to be doing this when he _knows_ Isaac, has known him just as long as he's known her. What's weirder, though, is the fact that Isaac doesn't seem to mind at all, there's a small smirk playing at his lips, and that, with Hendrix acting up, is too weird for a Wednesday morning. "Wait for me in the kitchen i'm gonna take him outside until he calms down."

"Cool." He says nonchalantly, grabbing an apple from the counter and taking a bite out of it. Valeria spares him one lingering, confused glance before hauling Hendrix out to the backyard. When she returns, Isaac is already waiting for her by the front door, spinning her car keys on his index finger. She doesn't question the vibes he's giving off right then, she figures she'll ask him once they're in school and she's much more awake. So she grabs her jacket and backpack and follows him to her car.

"The rain last night was brutal. I'm glad I didn't decide to wash her." She tells him as she unlocks the car doors.

"Yup." Isaac answers as he throws his backpack in the backseat. There's something different about him that she can't quite put her finger on. It's mostly in the way he's carrying himself; there's a mix of the nervous, shy Isaac she's known since kindergarten and someone who's the complete opposite.

It's _weird_.

When they arrive to school, the halls aren't as crowded as usual so getting through to Valeria's locker is pretty easy. Isaac has morning practice in a few minutes so he waits for her to gather her things so they can head over together. It's quiet while she stuffs her notebooks and books in her backpack, mostly due to the fact that Isaac has only been giving her one word answers to everything she's saying. Nothing she says is getting a reaction from him, not even her attempt at planning another ghost hunt. That always works. Even if it's Isaac saying he doesn't want to go because it's stupid. Valeria knows it's actually because he's scared shitless of ghosts, but that's besides the point.

When she closes her locker and turns around to make her way to the lacrosse field, she's faced with a boy wearing a black snapback and a smile too big for someone to have this early in the morning.

"Hey guys, I just started a club a few weeks ago and we're in need of some new members." He explains as he hands each a flyer. They're baby blue with a giant rainbow splattered in the center of the page with the letters GSA across the top in white and additional information in smaller font on the bottom half. "There's only, like, 5 of us so far so it'd be cool if you could show up to our next meeting. We usually meet up in Miss Maldonado's classroom during lunch too if that's something you'd be interested in. And there's no pressure to say what you identify as either, we'd just be happy with the support."

"Sounds like fun, but I think i'll pass." Isaac says as he hands his flyer over to Valeria.

"That's cool, man. Tell your friends though!" The boy says as Isaac starts walking off.

Valeria's heart starts beating faster the moment Isaac leaves because he's about to leave her alone with an extrovert. Luckily for her, the sound of heels hitting the ground catches both of their attention, along with everyone else's– if the hush that falls in the hallway is anything to go by. It takes a moment for Valeria to see what caused it, and she really shouldn't be surprised when she lays eyes on the most breathtaking girl she's ever had the honor of knowing. _Technically_.

Lydia Martin makes her way down the hallway with her head held high, ignoring all the judgmental glances and whispers from all the students around her. It's admirable really, how she manages to stay so put together despite what she's gone through recently. She looks amazing, though, for someone who just spent two days lost in the woods in freezing temperatures completely naked. But that could just be Valeria being biased because she's, well, in love with her.

Everyone seems to come back to life once she turns the corner and is out of sight, continuing to do what they had been previously doing and diving into discussions about what just happened. Valeria takes the opportunity to sneak off in the direction of the field before the boy can turn back around and initiate a conversation with her. The bleachers are mostly empty except for a few other students scattered around talking amongst themselves. Valeria spots an empty corner and carefully makes her way up to it.

While some of the boys run around warming up for practice, Valeria can't help but eavesdrop on a very loud conversation between Scott Mccall and Stiles Stilinski. It isn't the first time she's done it, and probably won't be the last considering they don't know how to whisper or be secretive. Besides, it's more for entertainment purposes than anything else because whatever they talk about is always _something._

Watching Scott repeatedly leave his post as goalie to tackle whoever is supposed to be making a goal, now _that's_ something.

When coach blows the whistle to scold him for his actions for the 3rd time, a blur of red and pink takes a seat beside her on the bleachers. It's the boy with the snapback from the hallway. She glances over at him, hoping that he doesn't try to initiate a conversation. He seems like the type to do that kind of thing. Instead, he stuffs his hands in his red jacket pockets and leans forward in interest as all the guys get into position to do the drill again.

It's all fun and games until Valeria realizes that Isaac is up next. She sits a bit straighter and watches with baited breath, waiting with dread for the inevitable collision, but it doesn't come. Surprisingly enough, Isaac lands perfectly on all fours instead of on his back, Valeria mumbles a "what the hell" in disbelief as she watches the two boys stare at each other for a few moments.

"Holy crap that was cool." The boy comments with a giant smile on his face. And maybe any other day it would have been cool, but this, plus his odd behavior from this morning, the only word coming to mind is: _weird_.

Her eyes then catch sight of her father and Sheriff Stilinski walking toward the field with purpose. She almost trips on her way down the bleachers when coach calls for Isaac to go to them. There are a million thoughts running through her head as she walks to the front of the small crowd that formed when Sheriff Stilinski and another deputy walked off the field with Isaac in tow. She spots her father finishing up a conversation with Coach, his eyebrows furrowed the way they always do when he's upset or worried.

 _they think he was murdered_

 _are they saying he's a suspect?_

McCall and Stilinski's voices reach her ears and it's almost like her breath catches in her throat and she can't _breathe_. The feeling has become all too familiar to her recently but _this?_ This hits her in the gut and she doesn't know why because how would Mccall know what they're saying when he's standing beside her and her dad is a couple hundred feet away? The logical side of her brain calms her for the moment, but not without exchanging a glance with McCall who's eyes widen the moment they meet her watery ones.

Valeria takes a deep breath and almost runs to her father who avoids eye contact all together when he notices her making her way toward him.

"Dad, what's going on? Where are they taking Isaac? _Why_ are they taking him? What's happening?"

"There was an accident with Mr. Lahey." He replies carefully. He's keeping information from her and it's not putting her at ease at all.

"Is he okay?"

"Valeria," He says tiredly, _you're not going to like this._ "Sheriff Stilinski is going to ask you a few questions, and I need you to be completely honest with him, okay?"

"But why _-"_

" _Valeria."_ He says her name sternly, and in Spanish. "Can you do what I asked? Please?"

"Yeah," She nods, "but can you just tell me what's really going on?"

"Mr. Lahey was murdered last night."

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Valeria stares for a moment, thinking back on her recent dreams of Mr. Lahey running through a dark alley, panicked and dripping wet from the rain. In the dreams he always ended up clawed to death by something not human, something big. But those were never reality, this definitely is.

Then what Scott had said comes to mind and she can't help but say; "You think he killed his dad."

Valeria feels like she's on autopilot the moment he confirms they suspect Isaac of murder. Everything around her becomes white noise and her mind is reeling as her father leads her toward the building to be interviewed by the Sheriff.

When they arrive to the office where Sheriff Stilinski will be conducting the interview, her father excuses himself and heads to the front doors, probably to where Isaac is. Valeria takes a seat on the chairs lined on the wall next to the door, her hands are trembling so much she has to put them under her thighs so that she's sitting on them all in effort to try and make them stop. Her breathing is rigid at best and it only gets worse when she hears footsteps coming down the hall and sees Jackson Whittemore walking toward her with a bored, yet irritated expression.

He rolls his eyes the moment he notices Valeria sitting on her hands looking seconds away from vomiting.

"What the hell are we doing here, McCall?"

 _For the 1000th time I am not Scott's sister, you ignorant asshole_.

Valeria shifts her gaze down to her worn out shoes and chooses to ignore Jackson instead, because attempting to correct him _again_ will only end in her getting a headache above whatever breakdown she's having at the moment. Besides, she's too worried about Isaac to worry about Jackson anyway.

When Sheriff Stilinski opens the door to the principal's office, Valeria's heart drops out of her chest so hard she almost misses Jackson's next words.

"Am I going to be told what i'm doing here?"

"I need to ask you both a few questions about Isaac Lahey." Sheriff answers.

"Who?" Valeria looks up at Jackson in disbelief, wondering how much of an asshole someone had to be to pretend to not remember the name of their neighbor who they've known since they were kids.

"Your neighbor." He answers, clearly irked by Jackson already.

"Right. That freak." He spares Valeria a glance then adjusts his backpack strap. "Can we get this over with so I can get back to my life?" Sheriff Stilinski sighs tiredly as he opens the door wider to let Jackson in.

Valeria is jolted once again – she thinks her heart might just stop altogether any time now – at the sight of Stilinski and McCall running down the hallway in her direction. They take a seat beside her and smile sheepishly when she looks over at them questioning their actions, and she doesn't stop staring even when they put their ears to the window of the principals office.

Almost as if by some unknown force, Valeria finds herself mirroring their actions.

She wishes she hadn't.

 _"So you mean to tell me that Isaac's father was hitting him?"_

 _"Hitting him? He was kicking the crap out of him."_

 _"Did you ever say anything to anyone? A teacher.. Parents.. Anyone?"_

 _"Nope, It's not my problem"_

Valeria moves her head away from the window, feeling hot tears falling down her cheeks. The trembling and loss of breath come back full force, leaving her clinging to the chair she's on just to keep her grounded otherwise she'd most likely throw up. She can hear Scott and Stiles' voices from next to her, but they sound so far away and distorted because of the ringing in her ears. She feels almost the same as the night of her imaginary wound, but so much _worse_.

"Dad I don't think she's okay."

"Go get Acosta." then "Valeria, can you hear me?"

Her eyes move over to where Sheriff Stilinski is crouching in front of her, she has the word 'yes' at the tip of her tongue, but it doesn't come out. She nods her head instead. A few minutes later, or seconds, she isn't sure how much time passes, her dads worried face comes into focus in front of her.

"Mija, I need you breathe with me, okay? Breathe with me. Come on, breathe in" he inhales slowly, "breathe out" then exhales. He repeats this a few more times until Valeria feels like she can breathe again, despite Jackson's testimony weighing heavy on her mind. She knows what Jackson's words mean for Isaac and that doesn't help her condition at all. A few hot tears fall when she clings to her father's uniform.

"You can't let them lock him up, you know he wouldn't do that." She pleads quietly for only her father to hear, but he can't look her in the eyes when he takes her hand off his arm and holds it between both of his hands.

"We have to continue with the investigation," he says, then looks up at Valeria who's at the brink of a panic attack, or anxiety attack, or both. "but i'll do everything in my power to prove he's innocent."

Valeria's lips tremble as she tries to smile, then hugs her father so hard she nearly causes both of them to fall on the ground. "Thank you."

Unfortunately, Sheriff Stilinski still needs to speak to her, but he gives her a few moments to get herself together –is that even possible at this point?– then asks for her to take a seat inside the principal's office. She really doesn't want to be in there, but she's willing to do anything to make sure Isaac is out of their custody even if the room is cold and intimidating and does nothing to calm her nerves.

"So," He starts, speaking softly as if not to spook Valeria. It completely does the opposite. "This is all protocol, so just answer as best as you can and we'll be out of here in no time"

Valeria nods, sinking into the seat further.

"Alright. We'll start with something easy, okay?When was the last time you saw Isaac prior to today?"

"Yesterday after school." She says, "but we talked on the phone for a bit around 6pm I think"

"And did he sound any different than he usually did? Did you notice anything off about him?" _Yes._ The answer is plain and simple, but he wasn't acting like his father had just been killed. It was something else off about him, but she wasn't about to tell the Sheriff that so she shakes her head. "When you would go over to Isaacs house, would Mr. Lahey ever show signs of aggression toward you?"

"I never really went to Isaac's house, and if I did, it was when Mr. Lahey wasn't there." She pauses, finally understanding _why_ that was. If it was because Isaac was afraid his father would get angry that he had someone over, or of Valeria finding out about what he was going through, or even the possibility of Mr. Lahey snapping at her, whatever the reason he might have had, the idea of Isaac keeping that inside of him for so long makes Valeria's heart clench again. _And it hurts._

A single tear escapes her eye and she's quick to wipe it off with her sleeve. "Sorry."

He doesn't say anything about it, only passes her the box of tissues on the desk. Valeria takes a single tissue and holds it in her hand as he puts the box back where he got it from. "I just have one more question and then we're done. It may be a tough one to answer, but I have to ask"

Valeria nods, ready to get this over with so she can look for Isaac.

"Has Isaac ever shown signs of wanting to harm his father?"

And yeah. It's a tough one to answer because how exactly does she answer without getting angry? It takes her a moment of trying to figure out her next words so they don't come out as infuriated as she feels.

"In the 11 years that i've known Isaac, he has never once said anything negative about his dad. No matter what he might have done to him, Isaac isn't like that." She wants to say more. Like _I'm glad he's dead._ And _he got what he deserved._ But there is no way she can say those things to the Sheriff without some serious consequences. So she keeps eye contact for as long as she's physically able to and sighs when Sheriff Stilinski dismisses her from the office.

Mccall and Stilinski are still sitting outside of the office when Valeria steps out. She doesn't know what they're doing there and she really doesn't care enough to question them because she has to get to Isaac before they take him away to the station. She exchanges a small smile with Mccall before she heads toward the school parking lot as fast as she can. Her dad is waiting outside of the patrol car making sure students don't linger too much trying to see what's going on. When he spots Valeria walking down the steps, he walks forward to meet her half way.

"Can I talk to him?"

"You have 2 minutes."

Isaac is sitting in the backseat with his head in his hands, looking broken and tired. Valeria sighs, not knowing what to say to him with all that he's going through, has gone through for who knows how long. She lifts her hand to knock on the window anyway, but he turns his head before she can make contact with the glass. He looks so tired and stressed, something she's seen so many times before, but now she's seeing it in a much different light.

"I'm sorry" They're the first words that come to mind the moment she looks into his broken blue eyes. _I'm sorry you've been dealing with this for so long. I'm sorry no adults noticed. I'm sorry._ Something in her tone must make him realize what she's apologizing for and he's right back to putting his head in his hands. It hurts her seeing him like this. She knows he wouldn't kill anyone and the fact that people think he would is so infuriating. "I'm going to help you get out. So is my dad, alright? Just- just don't worry."

It's a dumb thing to say to someone who's suspected of murder so she hopes the smile she offers when he looks at her again keeps him from losing all hope. There is so much more she wants to say to him, but there is no time for it at the moment with her dad standing a few feet away, students watching them from the distance, and her two minutes running out quickly. Maybe they can talk later once he's in his holding cell.

"They're going to put you in a holding cell that's pretty small so is there anything you need from home that you want me to take for you? So you're not super uncomfortable?"

"Don't go to my house!" Isaac snaps his head toward her, blue eyes intense and almost panicked.

"Oh, okay. I can just-"

"Please don't go there." Valeria hesitates to nod, wondering why Isaac doesn't want her there. She guesses it probably has to do with what she'll find there regarding his father. So she agrees to stay away.

"Time to go" Sheriff Stilinski says to her father as he walks down the steps toward the car. Valeria presses her knuckles against the window as way of saying goodbye, Isaac takes a deep breath and presses his own knuckles against the window to meet hers. They exchange small, but reassuring smiles from the back window as she makes her way to the double doors leading back to the school. The doors nearly hit her when Scott barrels out in a hurry, breathing out a quick apology. Valeria watches him stare off toward the cop car as it drives off with Isaac staring right back.

She doesn't linger too long, but the look of confusion stays on her face all the way to French class.

* * *

Valeria might possibly be a horrible friend.

Scratch that. She _is_ a horrible friend. _And_ a liar.

The back door to Isaac's house is unlocked and creaks a little too loud when she pushes it open. She knows she said she wouldn't come here, but technically she didn't make any promises so, with a quick apology to Isaac, she ventures inside toward the direction of his room.

The home is abnormally cold, Valeria has to zip up her jacket all the way up to her neck and stuff her hands into her pockets for warmth. The coldness of the entire house only adds to the eerie feeling it's giving off. Valeria guesses it might have to do with the fact that Mr. Lahey was just killed, but it doesn't shake the feeling that a ghost might appear at the end of the hallway. She snorts at the thought.

She pauses though, heart beating too fast as she stands in front of the basement door. Mr. Lahey, Mrs. Lahey, Camden. The eeriness makes sense now that she realizes _why_ the house feels the way it does. It might as well be abandoned with everyone in Isaac's family being dead and Isaac not being of age to be able to live in it by himself. He's _alone_.

Just the thought of that makes Valeria want to get to Isaac all that faster. She takes longer strides to get into Isaac's room, opening the door and grabbing what she needs out of it. The items include a few comics for him to read, his sketchbook and a small pouch with basic drawing supplies. It's enough to keep him entertained for a few days until they let him out.

She's in such a hurry she almost misses the fact that Isaac's room is a lot warmer than the living room. It's still cold, just not as bone chilling as when she'd entered the home. Quickly, she stuffs the items in her backpack and zips it closed, swinging it over her shoulders and heading out. The coldness envelops her once again as she walks across the living room area, stopping her in her tracks in front of the basement door.

There is some type of negative energy radiating from within that has Valeria's teeth chattering. She's seen enough ghost shows to know the basement never brings good news, and that is enough to keep her from reaching for the doorknob and venturing inside. It's too cold anyway and all she really wants to do is leave and see how Isaac is doing. So she heads out, only looking back once, and climbs into her car that's parked in the driveway and starts for the sheriff's station.

As she's at the stop sign at the end of Isaac's street making a turn toward the main street, her eyes meet the cold green eyes of Derek Hale. He's sitting in his all black Camaro waiting for his turn to make a right into the street she just came out of. It's really weird and she can't help but feel suspicious about it, but it's probably nothing anyway. So she turns up the volume on the stereo, immediately singing along to a popular song from The Animals that she'd been listening to earlier.

* * *

Isaac is acting _off_.

That morning his actions were easily written off as weird and different, but now it's just out of character. Valeria has seen Isaac grieve for his mother and brother, has seen the way he'd close himself off to everyone and go weeks without speaking. This though, it's different. It doesn't seem like he's grieving and Valeria knows exactly why he's taking his father's death differently. So she makes a point of not bringing him up while she's there.

She also pointedly avoids looking directly at his face, there's a sort of murderous, serial killer look in his eyes that's making her uneasy. Without a word, she unzips her backpack and pulls out the dark blue sketchbook with superhero logo stickers on it, Iron Man unfortunately appearing more than once.

"Um" she begins, lifting the book to show Isaac from the small window of the holding cell, "So I know you said that you didn't want me to go to your house, but I just wanted you to feel comfortable in here because of the small rooms, so I grabbed your favorite comics and your sketchbook just so you can pass the time doing something you like."

"You went to my house after I told you not to?" His voice is low and menacing, and so not like Isaac. Valeria can feel her heart pace quicken in fear.

"Yeah- I'm-"

"Sorry? You're not sorry. You had a choice and you chose to go." He says. Valeria slowly pulls the sketchbook back. "Did you look around at least? You can never help yourself."

Valeria doesn't know what to say, she opens and closes her mouth waiting for something to come out, but she's at a loss for words. Isaac has never spoke to her, or anyone, like that before and she's thrown off.

"What about the basement? Bet you found something interesting down there." Valeria furrows her eyebrows as he begins to get angrier by the second. "He used to put me in there, you know? A lot."

"Isaac," She warns, watching as two dents slowly begin to form where his hands are, the metal seems to creek as he continues to add pressure. "Stop."

"Is it eating you alive? All those years that you didn't know what was happening to me? Spending all that time trying to figure out other mysteries around town meanwhile I was there showing up with bruises, missing school all the time, never letting you come over, all those clues and you didn't _know_!"

Valeria's eyes go wide when Isaac moves his hands away and slams them against the doors leaving more noticeable dents on the opposite side. Isaac is quiet for a few moments, the sound of his breaths – or animalistic huffs, actually – being the only thing she can hear from inside the cell.

"Go home." He finally says, his voice sounding almost normal. Valeria goes to ask if he's fine, but he punches the door again causing her to jump back in fear. "Leave!"

She's out the door in a matter of seconds, heart thumping hard against her chest as she maneuvers her way through the halls toward the front desk. There's so much going through her mind she doesn't question the trail of blood on the floor.

Once outside, she takes a deep breath, trying to collect herself before she has to drive. The cold night air hits her face as she stands on the sidewalk, looking up at the bright full moon hanging in the sky, hoping she can calm her before she starts crying.

A car door slams to her left, immediately catching her attention. It came from an old baby blue jeep parked on the opposite side of the street from Valeria, she can clearly see two figures sitting inside and one of them is very animated with their hands. She knows who it is and it makes sense, Stiles is here to see his dad or whatever and has Scott with him because they're always together.

Except it isn't Scott with Stiles and Valeria has to keep from staring because what the hell is Derek Hale doing in a car with Stiles? It's odd and she wants to sit and watch to find out what they're doing at the sheriff station together, but considering Stiles waved to her the moment she furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of Derek, they know she's there. So she crosses the street to her car and throws her backpack in the backseat and heads home. Whatever they're doing there is none of her business anyway.

Of course because her day hasn't already been disorienting enough, as she's taking a shortcut home she catches sight of a smoke person heading into the woods near the Hale house. It's just what she needs, obviously. Cursing under her breathe because Isaac was right about her not being able to help herself (although she did successfully hold out on investigating the odd friendship between Stiles with Derek Hale), she pulls into the small dirt road, slowly following the figure of the man in all black as he seemed to lead her deeper into the woods. As expected, she ends up at the old Hale house, tall and intimidating with only the headlights to Valeria's car and the moon illuminating it.

She stares up at it for a moment, thinking about how grand it must have been before Kate Argent got to it. There are pictures of it from before and the comparison is saddening, really. What once was a place full of life and a family, is now just a skeleton of a home all because of a woman for a reason Valeria still hasn't figured out. She shakes her head before shifting her attention to where the new smoke man is standing.

Valeria jumps slightly when she sees him standing under a tree staring right at her as if waiting for her to get out. She doesn't want to, _really_ doesn't want to, but something inside her almost pulls her to him. So she climbs out, taking slow steps toward the man and focusing on the music coming from her still running car instead of the washed out smoke man she's willingly walking towards. He remains still for a few seconds, smoke body seemingly moving against the wind, watching as Valeria hesitantly inches closer.

"Hi" She says, voice shaking, hoping it will cause a reaction. He remains still, eyes boring into Valeria's terrified brown ones. So she laughs nervously, rubbing her eyes with her palms. "I'm officially losing it. This is either another dream or some type of stress induced delusion. Either way i'm going to have to talk to my tia about checking in to Eich–"

There's a thud and leaves crunching from in front of her, and then the sound of a gun being taken off safety. Valeria quickly removes her hands from her face and is met with the sight of the man holding his gun with one hand while the other is on the back of his neck, almost as if to keep a wound from bleeding. He backs away, strategically pointing the gun around for whatever attacked or hit him – like someone who's had proper military training or something along those lines. Valeria watches the whole thing play out from the sidelines, taking a step back when he falls to his knees in defeat. His eyes are wide in shock as if seeing who is responsible for the attack and preparing for his inevitable death ⎼ because that's what these encounters always end with⎼ the gun slips from his hand and disappears from sight, never hitting the ground.

His fake smoke body is then carried away by a gust of wind, leaving Valeria staring at nothing but trees and an empty house. She stands there for a moment processing whatever it is that she just witnessed, all while Queen plays from her car in the background. It's all very confusing and only a tiny bit rattling, actually very rattling if Valeria's current heart rate is any indication of how terrifying the whole experience was, but mostly she's confused and a little curious. Aside from the big What The Fuck repeatedly going through her frazzled mind, the question 'Who is he?' along with 'who killed him?' manage to slip through the chaos.

Her phone rings from inside her jacket pocket, shocking her back to reality. It's her dad.

"Isaac escaped." He says before she can even speak. And _what_. "Get home. Now."

Without another word she gets back into her car and finally heads home, wondering how exactly Isaac managed to escape so fast when she had only just seen him less than 20 minutes ago. But she remembers something – some _one_ – who didn't fit the equation at all, and makes a mental note to add him onto her board.

 _Derek Hale._

* * *

A/N: i procrastinated a lot to finish this chapter so i made it waaay longer to make up for it (it hit 5.6k folks) but anyway i managed to introduce another one of the core four in here so yay (lmk if you know who it is) follow me on tumblr at timeonourside if you want for edits and stuff or if you wanna talk characters or crossovers.


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